New questions! Second fish, Snails (both desirable and undesirable)?

[Chu'Wuti]

Some aquarists do not like snails, period. That's OK. But let's be clear on the actual benefits/detriments. I have dozens, probably hundreds in my tanks, and I am happy to see them because I know they are aiding the biological system.

. . .

I consider small harmless snails to be my friends in the aquarium; they do jobs that I as the aquarist could never manage.

That sounds like an excellent outlook--one I will be happy to follow!

 

[Salty&Onion]

These small "pest" snails will reproduce so long as food is available. So that is another "benefit" many do not seem to realize...if there were not so many organics in the tank, the snails would have no food and starve. So large numbers means the tank is overstocked/overfed/not maintained adequately.

My tank is not maintained adequately and overfed and overstocked, but over stocking is not really a problem as you have mentioned to me once.
Or I misunderstood? Like I always do..

 

[PheonixKingZ]

My tank is not maintained adequately and overfed and overstocked, but over stocking is not really a problem as you have mentioned to me once.
Or I misunderstood? Like I always do..

How is your tank overstocked?

 

[Byron]

My tank is not maintained adequately and overfed and overstocked, but over stocking is not really a problem as you have mentioned to me once.
Or I misunderstood? Like I always do..

I guess I have to be more vigilant when responding in generalities. "Overstocking" depends upon how one defines the term. If the fish are in balance with the biological capability of the system, they are not overstocked, though there may be a lot of organics occurring and thus a lot of snails to handle them. A 10-inch fish in a 30 gallon tank is without question overstocked.

 

[Salty&Onion]

I guess I have to be more vigilant when responding in generalities. "Overstocking" depends upon how one defines the term. If the fish are in balance with the biological capability of the system, they are not overstocked, though there may be a lot of organics occurring and thus a lot of snails to handle them. A 10-inch fish in a 30 gallon tank is without question overstocked.

Makes sense. I don't have a 10" fish in my tank
80 cm long tank is enough for swordtails, molies, pleco and cories alright?

 

[Byron]

Makes sense. I don't have a 10" fish in my tank
80 cm long tank is enough for swordtails, molies, pleco and cories alright?

Yes that is the absolute minimum length for swordtails. No idea of numbers though.

 

[Salty&Onion]

Yes that is the absolute minimum length for swordtails. No idea of numbers though.

I've got 3 of them, 6 white clouds, 3 mollies, 5 guppies, 1 BN pleco, shrimps.
Planned stocking -> 9 cories, no idea of numbers on guppies (should be 5 and below), one gourami.

 

[Byron]

I've got 3 of them, 6 white clouds, 3 mollies, 5 guppies, 1 BN pleco, shrimps.
Planned stocking -> 9 cories, no idea of numbers on guppies (should be 5 and below), one gourami.

A gourami will not work here, you have other fish too active.

Nine cories is fine, from their perspective, but here we get into the potential size of the swordtails and mollies, and I'm hesitant.

Swordtails range from four to as large as six inches; in aquaria 4-5 inches is normal, with females slightly larger than males. You will commonly find them from two to three inches in pet shops; at that size they are generally six to nine months old. Molly males attain 3 inches, females close to 5 inches with some sources reporting up to 6 inches.

 

[Salty&Onion]

A gourami will not work here, you have other fish too active.

Nine cories is fine, from their perspective, but here we get into the potential size of the swordtails and mollies, and I'm hesitant.

Swordtails range from four to as large as six inches; in aquaria 4-5 inches is normal, with females slightly larger than males. You will commonly find them from two to three inches in pet shops; at that size they are generally six to nine months old. Molly males attain 3 inches, females close to 5 inches with some sources reporting up to 6 inches.

What other fish can I put in my tank except for the gourami?
Hardness is 253ppm, pH above 7.0.

 

[Byron]

What other fish can I put in my tank except for the gourami?
Hardness is 253ppm, pH above 7.0.

I don't think there is much room for more upper level fish, that was why I noted the adult size of the three swordtails and three mollies. The cories, I think they could work if you are regular with good water changes.

 

[Chu'Wuti]

In re the snails in our tank:

Overstocking is not an issue: we had ZERO fish until two days ago (Friday 12 June 2020), only plants, and we added only three young/small gouramis and 10 0.5" shrimp to the tank (75 gallon).

Similarly, overfeeding is not an issue, as the fish and shrimp have been fed only one time (Saturday 13 June 2020) and only a tiny amount, as I was concerned about how much to put in. They finished off what I gave them in less than 2 minutes.

Inadequate maintenance is not (yet) an issue, as the tank is only about two months old. Plants were first added 13 May 2020. We allowed it to cycle until 12 June. Some cleaning, removal of plants that completely melted, and replanting was undertaken after about two weeks, around the end of May. Since then we've been monitoring the water chemistry and adjusting it.

It's simple: the snails came on the plants, and I missed seeing them. So far I've seen maybe a dozen. I have also seen evidence of eggs on the tank walls, so I know we're headed for a lot more snails if I'm not careful. Some are okay; hundreds sound overwhelming.

 

[Retired Viking]

I had a snail invasion in my 55 gallon tank from plants I bought, I have a catch and release program where I catch the snails as they go up for air and release them into my RES turtle tank. If you keep the feeding low like it sounds like you have that will help. I cut back on feeding and it helped me. You do not want to poison the snails because it will probably kill your shrimp too. It took awhile but now I have just a few snails show up. They do help maintain the tank but I prefer my nerite snails do that,

 

[Byron]

In re the snails in our tank:

Overstocking is not an issue: we had ZERO fish until two days ago (Friday 12 June 2020), only plants, and we added only three young/small gouramis and 10 0.5" shrimp to the tank (75 gallon).

Similarly, overfeeding is not an issue, as the fish and shrimp have been fed only one time (Saturday 13 June 2020) and only a tiny amount, as I was concerned about how much to put in. They finished off what I gave them in less than 2 minutes.

Inadequate maintenance is not (yet) an issue, as the tank is only about two months old. Plants were first added 13 May 2020. We allowed it to cycle until 12 June. Some cleaning, removal of plants that completely melted, and replanting was undertaken after about two weeks, around the end of May. Since then we've been monitoring the water chemistry and adjusting it.

It's simple: the snails came on the plants, and I missed seeing them. So far I've seen maybe a dozen. I have also seen evidence of eggs on the tank walls, so I know we're headed for a lot more snails if I'm not careful. Some are okay; hundreds sound overwhelming.

I think we got off on a side track...Salty&Onion and myself, starting in post #14. We two have been answering each other for the last few posts, sorry for the confusion.

 

[Chu'Wuti]

Okay, no problem! I just wanted to make sure I hadn't been unclear. Thanks!